


(let's fly away) to the blue sky

by taerin (onpaperwings)



Category: ONEUS (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern with Magic, Cliffhangers, Dongju is just distractingly pretty all the time, Geonhak carrying Dongju as per usual, Geonhak's childhood education major skills ftw, Homophobia, How Do I Tag, Hugs, M/M, Not Beta Read, OT6 eventually, Slow Burn, Youngjo is best boi
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-08-22
Updated: 2020-09-21
Packaged: 2021-03-06 23:13:30
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 4
Words: 7,957
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26047081
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/onpaperwings/pseuds/taerin
Summary: There is only one other passenger on the bus at this ungodly hour of the morning. There’s a boy dozing off in one of the back seats, with his arms draped in a loose hug around the bookbag in his lap. He looks dead to the world, with his head tipped forward and eyes closed, his hair a mess of tousled ash curls that knocks gently against the window every time the bus makes a turn. He has these ridiculously long and pretty eyelashes that any girl in Geonhak’s class would have been jealous of. Even in the faint light that filters through the bus windows, Geonhak can tell that the boy is cute in exactly the way that would have Geonhak blushing and sneaking glances at him during class if they had been schoolmates.-Or Geonhak has a magical encounter on a bus, meets a cute boy, and ends up finding a family in a group of misfits
Relationships: Kim Geonhak | Leedo/Son Dongju | Xion, Kim Youngjo | Ravn/Yeo Hwanwoong
Comments: 26
Kudos: 63





	1. l’heure entre chien et loup (the hour between dog and wolf)

**Author's Note:**

> So I have recently discovered these boys and I just love them all so expect a good amount of OT6 shenanigans and fluff at some point in this story. But also angst and sad times because I'm just an awful person like that.
> 
> Title of the chapter is from the lyrics to ONEUS's song Bing Bing. It translates to "the hour between dog and wolf", and it means the hour after sunset and before night :)

“Get out of my house right now! I won’t have an ungrateful brat staying under my roof, let alone one with all these unnatural, disgusting thoughts. Don’t show your face around here again until you’ve finally come to your senses!”

Even though the confrontation had happened hours ago, his father’s spiteful words were still echoing around Geonhak’s head. After he’d left, he had stumbled around aimlessly in the streets for a while, blankly watching as twilight slowly descended and the brilliant jewel tones of the setting sun faded slowly from the darkening sky. 

Honestly, he still feels a little numb. He had known that his parents wouldn’t like the truth, but he’d never expected to be thrown out of the house. He finally lets his sneakers shuffle to a stop outside some random store, as he pauses to lean against its wall, all of a sudden overcome with weariness and a deep sense of despair.

Where was he supposed to go now? What was he going to do, now that he had no place to call home? 

As he shifts position slightly, he feels the hard edge of his phone digging into his thigh. Suddenly he realizes that he could call someone for help, and the resulting rush of relief has him almost dropping his phone as he fumbles it out of his pocket. 

Thankfully, his phone is at about half charge, so he quickly pulls up his contacts. But as he scrolls through the few numbers on his phone, he feels the brief flare of hope stuttering with doubt. 

The thing is, Geonhak doesn't really have many friends. He has always been more of the quiet type, and people tended to be intimidated by his looks and deep, growly voice. Not that he really gave them much reason to look further than his outward demeanor- he usually preferred to keep to himself.

When he reaches the very bottom of his short contact list, the name _Youngjo-hyung_ stares up at him. His thumb hovers uncertainty over the call icon. 

He and Youngjo went way back, as they had been friends as young children. They’d gone to the same schools and had been in the same clubs. But right before high school, Youngjo and his family had moved away to a bigger city. They’d exchanged contact info, and still kept in touch with semi-frequent phone calls and texts. Youngjo was his closest friend, but it had still been years since they’d seen each other in person. 

But it isn’t like he has anyone else to call right now. With his heart in his throat, he hits the call button and presses his phone to his ear, only hearing a couple rings before the line connects with a click. 

_“Hello? Geonhak, what’s up?”_ Youngjo’s voice is so welcome and familiar that Geonhak feels his body finally relaxing from the hunched tenseness that he has been carrying in his shoulders for the past few hours. 

“Hyung, you have no idea how good it is to hear your voice right now. I-I just” Geonhak suddenly doesn't know what to say, and he feels his throat closing up as he blinks back the burning in his eyes. 

_“Geonhak?!”_ Now Youngjo sounds concerned. _“Hak, what’s wrong?”_

“My parents, they uh, found out about m-me liking boys and they kicked me out.” Geonhak finally chokes out.

Youngjo is silent for a long moment and Geonhak is seized with shame and a crippling doubt. “I’m sorry hyung, I shouldn’t be shoving my problems onto you, I shouldn’t have even cal-”

_“Geonhak, calm down for a minute! There is no way in hell that I would be upset with_ you _. I just had to take a minute to collect myself so I didn’t take the next bus over to your parents’ house right now to rip them both a new one.”_

Geonhak hears some shuffling and the sound of a door shutting on the other end before Youngjo’s concerned voice filters back through his speakers. 

_“Where are you now, Hak? Do you have anywhere to go?”_

“Not really. I’ve just been walking around town since they kicked me out. I don’t really know what to do now.” Geonhak admits, leaning back to let the back of his head thunk softly back against the rough brick wall.

_“Why don’t you come stay here? I have a spare room anyway. Oh, and my cafe has been doing pretty well! So much so that I was thinking of hiring someone to help me expand the bakery portion. I’m sure you’d be fine at the job- you’ve always been good at cooking so baking shouldn’t be too hard for you.”_

Geonhak blinks incredulously, jaw slackening for a moment in shock. “H-Hyung, that’s too much! You can’t be serious!” He finally stutters out.

_“I wouldn’t be offering if I wasn’t serious, Hak. You’re a good friend and you don’t deserve this, no one does. Look, there’s a nice enough community college nearby- I’ve taken some classes there. They offer a child education major. You can save up money and take classes by staying with me. It’s really an ideal set up for you.”_

“But hyung, I can’t impose on you-”

_“Geonhak.”_ Youngjo’s serious tone instantly cuts off any more of Geonhak’s protests. _“Think about taking care of yourself for once. Please.”_

“Are you sure, Youngjo?” Geonhak has to make sure.

_“I’m 100% sure about this. Now go get a bus ticket and get your ass here. I’ll get the guest room ready for you. Oh wait, do you have money for the fare? I can send-”._

“Thank you, hyung, I really mean it.” Geonhak interrupts. “I should have enough on me for a one-way ticket, you don’t have to worry. I- I really appreciate this, I don’t know how I’ll ever repay you.”

_“Aish, Geonhakkie it’s fine. I just want you to be okay."_ Youngjo’s voice softened. _“So go get the first bus ticket you can over here- I can’t wait to see you again. I’ll send you the address to my cafe since I’ll be at work all day tomorrow. Just come to the store, okay?”_

“Okay hyung.” Geonhak swallows past the lump in his throat. “Thank you again. I’ll see you tomorrow.”

_“Of couse Hak.”_ Youngjo’s voice is warm with fondness. _“What are friends for?”_

Since the bus station is on the other side of town, it takes almost an hour to make his way over there. The ticket booth attendant gives him the stink eye for showing up at the very last minute to buy a ticket, but still slides the slightly crumpled slip of paper to him over the grimy counter with little fuss. 

Almost immediately, the bus pulls up to the stop and Geonhak has to hurry to board. It’s the overnight bus, so it’ll drive through the night and arrive in the city sometime in the morning.

Now it’s almost 4 am, and Geonhak is cold and a bit sore from sitting in the uncomfortable plastic seat for hours. He wishes he had the time and forethought to snag one of his favorite jackets on the way out the door, but with the way that his father had been spitting insults at him and his mom had been so silent and stone-faced, he’d slammed his way out of his house as fast as he could. As it is, he just wraps his arms around himself, and let’s his head loll against the window pane. 

He feels drained, both physically and emotionally. He should try and sleep, but he knows it would be futile with the worried thoughts still circling round and round in his head. Instead, he casts his gaze around the bus, seeking some kind of distraction. 

There is only one other passenger on the bus at this ungodly hour of the morning. There’s a boy dozing off in one of the back seats, with his arms draped in a loose hug around the bookbag in his lap. He looks dead to the world, with his head tipped forward and eyes closed, his hair a mess of tousled ash curls that knocks gently against the window every time the bus makes a turn. He has these ridiculously long and pretty eyelashes that any girl in Geonhak’s class would have been jealous of. Even in the faint light that filters through the bus windows, Geonhak can tell that the boy is cute in exactly the way that would have Geonhak blushing and sneaking glances at him during class if they had been schoolmates. 

Geonhak has to look away because he doesn’t want to think about his parents' reaction to him accidentally coming out to them. But he can’t help glancing back when the boy abruptly jerks awake with a faint cry and scrambles to his feet while yelling. 

“Stop the bus! You need to sto-“ 

Suddenly the whole bus shudders and everything goes pitch black. 


	2. 불빛을 밝히리 (shine the light)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “Get down! They’re coming!” Geonhak doesn’t need to be told twice as he dives back onto the dusty bus floor, his heartbeat pounding wildly in his ears. 

Panicked by the unexpected complete darkness, Geonhak blindly reaches out to grab something, anything. He yelps as his stomach swoops, and his grip is knocked loose as the bus jerks wildly. He is thrown out of his seat, his shoulder jarring painfully and his head slamming hard against the floor. 

Shaking his head against the ringing in his ears, Geonhak manages to get to his hands and knees, feeling around desperately for the plastic edge of the chair so he can haul himself back up. Everything lurches once again, although he is prepared this time and manages to keep his seat. 

His questing fingers find smooth glass, and Geonhak frowns. He should be looking right at the bus window- why was it pitch black outside?

But as he looks closer, he realizes that something must be blocking the window from the outside of the bus. Many somethings actually, as he watches a small section of the glass become uncovered, allowing him to glimpse one of the dark blurs peel away from the side of the bus and the jagged shape of moonlit tree tops moving quickly past the window. 

His jaw drops, and he bends to peer closer. Was the bus somehow flying? How was this possible? But a fluttering black shape slaps itself over the gap he had been looking through, startling him back in a full body flinch. 

“Oh for fuck’s sake.” A voice cuts through Geonhak’s panic. He suddenly remembers about the other passenger on the bus and is mildly surprised that the boy has such a deep voice, belying his delicate looks.

_ “Turn darkness into light. Shine on me! _ ” 

This time the boy’s shout has a strange resonant quality to it that sends a chill down Geonhak’s spine. And abruptly, Geonhak can see again, the interior of the bus flooded with a soft white light. When he turns to look back, Cute Boy is standing in the bus aisle with a glowing orb of light in one hand, the other hand braced on the roof of the bus for support. He meets Geonhak’s gaze with a stony glare. 

“Are you a magic-user?” The boy demands. The light leaves his hand and drifts lazily by the boy’s shoulder as he gingerly makes his way towards Geonhak. 

“A magic-user? No, I-I have no idea what’s going on right now!” Geonhak sputters out. Cute Boy gives an annoyed sigh as he crouches to snag his bag from where it had been thrown in the initial chaos. The bus groans around them, and Geonhak winces at the screech of tree branches scraping against metal. The other boy curses under his breath as he rummages hurriedly through his bag, pulling out a spiral bound notebook. 

“Look, they’ll be putting us down soon so just keep your head down, and they won’t bother you. You can pretend that you’re unconscious like the bus driver if you want- just run when you see a chance.” Cute Boy snaps at Geonhak, pulling himself back up with the notebook in hand. 

Indeed, when Geonhak whips back around towards the front, he sees the bus driver slumped over in his seat, held in place only by his seatbelt straps. 

“Oh my god, is he dead?” Geonhak says faintly. 

“He’s probably fine, there’s no time to worry about it right now.” The boy hisses back. The bus hits the ground with a muffled thump and an ominous creak as the axles protest, and they both scramble for handholds as the bus bounces slightly once before settling into stillness. 

“Get down! They’re coming!” Geonhak doesn’t need to be told twice as he dives back onto the dusty bus floor, his heartbeat pounding wildly in his ears. 

The bus door hinges squeak loudly as the doors are forced open, and in floods a writhing cloud of black shapes. Each one is roughly the size and shape of a full grown man. But it was as if a child had cut them clumsily out from a cloth, giving them only a simple rounded shape for a head and vaguely arm and leg shaped appendages. The things flutter around aimlessly for a moment, their limbs trailing limply in their wake with a rustling noise as they brush across the top of seats and the roof of the vehicle. Abruptly, as one, each shape freezes and slowly rotates to orientate along the same direction. 

Geonhak, peering through a gap in the seats in front of him, realizes with horror that they are all aiming towards where Cute Boy is standing. 

Cute Boy has a scowl of concentration on his face as he reads from the notebook spread open in his hands. The ball of light is still bobbing gently by his shoulder, illuminating the words in the notebook for him to mutter aloud, too low and fast for Geonhak to hear clearly. 

The black things all shoot towards the boy, their arms reaching forward as if to grab him. Geonhak starts to yell out a warning, and Cute Boy’s head snaps up as he tears a page from the notebook and shouts out the last part of his incantation.

_ “-fly and rend asunder!” _

The sheet of paper in his hand flares a blinding white before splitting into a series of short strips that streak through the air. They rip across the incoming black projectiles, tearing through them voraciously. 

As soon as the shapes are sliced apart, the pieces drift slowly to the floor to lay unmoving. A few shreds are blown Geonhak’s way, and he reaches out tentatively to touch them. The black material is crisp and familiar, crumpling easily under his fingertips.

Paper? Geonhak is suddenly reminded of the paper dolls that his youngest cousins used to play with. He frowns and shudders at the thought that a bunch of paper cutouts had lifted the entire bus and carried it through the air. 

Geonhak is shaken from his musings by a cry of pain. One of the paper dolls had caught Cute Boy unawares and snagged him around the ankle, pulling him down hard and knocking the notebook from his grasp.

The doll starts dragging him down the aisle, uncaring to his kicking legs and his steady litany of curses. The boy reaches for his fallen book, but just barely misses as the doll yanks him away. 

The white strips of paper appear too occupied with the swarm of black shapes to free their summoner. As soon as one paper doll is slashed to pieces, another floats in the bus door to take its place in a seemingly endless stream.

For a second, Geonhak is frozen in indecision, fear and uncertainty making his palms clammy with sweat. But even though Geonhak is massively freaked out by this whole thing, he can’t just sit and watch the boy get taken away to god knows what fate. So he takes a steadying breath and lunges out of his hiding place.

“What are you doing?! I told you to run!”

Geonhak ignores the ungrateful brat’s yelling and tries to rip the black paper from where it’s wrapped tightly around the boy’s leg. It doesn’t budge or show any sign of tearing, and Geonhak huffs in frustration. 

“How is paper so strong?” He desperately grabs at the doll’s head, thinking about attempting to crush it in his fists.

But just as his fingertips brush it, the doll suddenly lights up in a crimson glow before exploding into a fine powder. Geonhak yelps and rears back, throwing up his arm instinctively and narrowly avoiding a face full of the dust. The boy is a bit more unlucky and sputters a bit as he tries to wipe the gray remnants off of his clothes and out of his hair.

“Gross, what is this, ash? I thought you said you weren’t a magic-user?”

“I’m not! I don’t know what just happened!” 

“Whatever, we’ll have to deal with your existential crisis later. Let’s just use the emergency exit and get the hell out of here.”

With that, the boy picks himself up, making sure to grab his notebook and stuff it into his bag before throwing the strap over his shoulder and heading towards the back of the bus. Geonhak stares down at his hands for a long moment, panic and confusion both warring in his head before he decides that he really can’t afford having a meltdown right here and now. 

Shoving the incident into a mental box labeled “To Freak Out About Later”, he also runs towards the rear exit, where Cute Boy has already managed to get the door open. 

The boy hops through the back exit, landing neatly on pine needle-strewn dirt. Geonhak goes to follow him, but is suddenly grabbed by the back of his shirt, startling an undignified noise from him.

Geonhak flails wildly behind him, fighting to get free, his feet trying and failing at gaining purchase against the smooth floor. But whatever miracle that had happened before didn’t seem to be working now. The doll, impervious to his struggles, starts to drag him away from the door. 

Geonhak catches the wide surprised eyes of Cute Boy, and for a moment, Geonhak thinks that the boy is just going to run and abandon him. But the boy screws up his face with a determined set to his mouth and jumps back into the vehicle to grab one of Geonhak’s outstretched arms. 

_ “Protect him!” _

Abruptly, Geonhak feels a brush of displaced air against the back of his neck, and he is released. The momentum of his own scrabbling feet and the boy’s tug is enough to send them both flying out of the back exit, and he lands heavily, right on straight on top of the other boy. Cute Boy gives a bitten off scream, and Geonhak scrambles to get off of him. 

“I’m so sorry! Are you okay?” 

The boy curls up on his side, his left arm cradled to his chest as his other hand reflexively grips at his elbow. His face is pale and drawn, eyebrows scrunched up and lip bleeding where it had been caught between his teeth. He draws in a shuddering breath that sounds almost like a sob before he seems to steel himself and pushes himself upright with his uninjured arm.

“I’m fine.” He grits out. “Get my notebook for me. Now.”

Geonhak starts to apologize again, feeling immensely guilty. But at the boy’s flinty albeit slightly watery-eyed glare, Geonhak just hurries to dig through the boy’s bag and pulls out the slightly worse for wear book. 

“Now hold it in front of me for a moment. And stay quiet, I need to concentrate for this.” Geonhak nods and holds the notebook flat across his palms. Cute Boy looks back up at the opening that they’d fallen through.

_ “Ensnare, contain, become the chains that bind.”  _ He calls out. 

There’s an answering glow of light from inside the bus, and Geonhak can see that the white strips of paper have all lit up a bright white. Then, the strips somehow shoot out in length, growing at a breakneck speed, and begin encircling the black shapes in a spinning cage. The paper dolls are forced to all clump together into a ball. The whole mass floats out of the bus, passing over their heads with a rustling crackle, as if a hundred newspapers were being crumpled up simultaneously. The writhing ball of black and streaky white pauses and hovers above the forest floor like an odd swarm of bees.

_ “A cleansing light, a careful flame. Burn away all that should not be.”  _ At the boy’s words, the notebook in Geonhak’s hands comes to life, the cover flopping open and the pages rapidly flipping over as if someone was actually looking through them. Finally, the rapid flitting of the pages stops, and a single sheet stands perfectly upright and still. 

“Tear it off for me, and fold it in half long-ways. Then put it in my mouth, folded edge first.” Geonhak blinks at the boy incredulously, but obeys. The paper tears away from the notebook easily, and he folds it and guides it to the boy’s lips with slightly shaking fingers. 

_ “Ashes to ashes, take flight.”  _ The words are slightly muffled by the paper in his mouth, but Geonhak can still hear the unworldly quality in this voice. 

Cute Boy closes his eyes, his lashes feathering distractingly against his moonlit skin, before he tilts his head up and blows out one long, gentle breath. The paper in his mouth flies out from between his lips and twists in the air into something that looks vaguely birdlike before it bursts into flame and flaps its way into the swirling blob of black shapes straining against the glowing white bars. 

The whole mass goes up in a roaring ball of flames, bright enough that Geonhak has to shut his eyes against the intensity. 

And when he opens his eyes again, the fire is already gone, leaving no trace of what had transpired except for a scattering of pale ash, slowly being blown away by the wind. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So the paper dolls and the paper in mouth thing is heavily inspired by the anime Natsume's Book of Friends and also Spirited Away to some extent, hehe.
> 
> Title and one of the incantations come from the lyrics to Valkyrie! 
> 
> Thanks to everyone who leaves a comment or kudos- it really makes my day :)


	3. B Be Alright

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Geonhak just stands there for a moment, very aware of the warm gentle breaths and the soft gray curls ticking at his jaw. Then he shakes his head, closing his eyes and breathing out sharply in both amusement and incredulity. How had his life come to this? Just yesterday, he’d been thinking about mundane things, like doing chores and filling out college applications. Now here he was, waist-deep in magic spells and possible terrifying pursuers, with some boy that he’d just met on his back. 

Geonhak is still trying to blink the afterspots from his vision when the boy heaves a huge sigh and tips backwards to sprawl on the ground, careful to not jolt his injured arm. 

“And I was having such a nice dream before all of this happened.” Cute Boy whines. He extends his good arm towards Geonhak, palm facing upwards expectantly. “You can give me my book back now.” 

Geonhak stares at the other boy, still feeling somewhat numb with shock, and passes the notebook over silently. Then, he decides that maybe now it’s safe to open up his mental “To Freak Out About Later” box. 

“W-what just happened? What were those things?” He stammers, gesturing at the general direction of where the fire had happened. “And how does magic even exist?!” 

“Wow, I guess you really are a newbie.” The boy side-eyes Geonhak consideringly. “Weird, I’ve never heard of anyone’s magic manifesting so late- usually it happens by puberty at the latest. And you’ve definitely already gone through puberty, Cave Voice.” 

“Cave Voice?” Geonhak sputters incredulously. 

“I don’t know your name, so that’s what I’ve been calling you in my head.” The boy shrugs unapologetically. Geonhak opens his mouth to protest but then realizes he really doesn’t have a good defense since he’s been mentally calling the stranger Cute Boy this whole time. And he sure as hell isn’t going to tell the other boy that. 

“My name’s Geonhak, Kim Geonhak.” He says instead, a little flustered. The boy laughs at him, propping himself up on his uninjured arm.

“I’m Xion. And first lesson of the magic world, you never give your real name to another magic-user. It’s customary to use an alias, unless you’re family or a close friend.” 

“An alias? Why?” Geonhak asks confusedly. 

“If you’re a human magic-user who lives in both the magical and non-magical worlds, you use an alias for magic-related things, and your given name for normal human things.” Xion shrugs. “It helps to keep the two worlds separated.”

Geonhak supposes that makes sense, so he nods thoughtfully before another thought occurs to him.

“Wait,  _ human  _ magic-users? As in, there are non-human ones too?” 

“You know, every story has a grain of truth somewhere.” He winks at a stunned Geonhak, before clambering awkwardly to his feet and making towards the bus. “Unfortunately, I don’t have time to give you a crash course on the entirety of the magic world. I should go check on the driver.”

Geonhak supposes he shouldn’t be too surprised. If magic exists, somehow hidden from the average person, then the existence of magical creatures isn’t too much of a stretch. But Geonhak still can’t help feeling some disbelief. Does this mean things like vampires or demons are real? What about fairies and unicorns?

Those were just a couple of the million thoughts still running amok in his mind. What exactly were those paper doll things that attacked them? And why were they attacked in the first place?

And then there was the matter of what had happened back in the bus. Geonhak stares down at his hands. They look the same as they always do, familiar calluses and creases across his palms thrown into stark relief under the moonlight. But somehow, with a single touch, he’d disintegrated one of those dolls. Xion said that it had been magic, but how did Geonhak suddenly have magical ability? And why hadn’t it worked when he’d been dragged away by another doll?

“Hey, come here for a sec!” A shout from the bus shakes him from his musings. Geonhak hurries to the front of the vehicle. Xion is kneeling by the unconscious bus driver, smoothing a torn strip of a notebook page over the man’s bruised forehead. The paper glows briefly, a soothing pale green that washes the entire interior of the bus in its light, before returning to its normal white color. 

“Help me get him lying down.” Xion orders. “I can’t move him with my arm like this.”

Geonhak nods and goes to undo the driver’s seatbelt. He gets his arms under the man’s knees and back, careful to support his head. Once he is sure he has a good grip, he lifts up with a grunt and lays the driver out the bus floor.

Geonhak sits back on his heels and eyes the paper that is still sticking resolutely across the man’s brow, presumably held up by magic. The bruises seem to be a shade lighter than they had been just an instant ago, but the continued unconsciousness is still worrying.

“Is he going to be alright? What did you do to him?” He asks, concerned. 

“It’s a healing spell.” Xion replies, eyes rolling. “He’ll be all fine in about half an hour or so while the magic is working. He won’t be able to wake up until then, so we should head out while he’s still unconscious. I don’t know about you, but I don’t want to have to explain things to him.”

“Wait, we can’t just leave him here!” Geonhak protests. 

“Well we also can’t stay around and wait for whoever sent those dolls to show up.” Xion snaps back. 

“Someone  _ sent  _ those dolls?” Geonhak blinks, feeling a thread of fear run down his spine. “Why? What were they after?”

“I don’t know, but those dolls were definitely tracking something.” Xion sighs with a shrug. “Might have been sent by poachers. Magic-users can sell for quite a lot on the back market.”   
  


“Isn’t that even more reason to not abandon him?” Geonhak says, gesturing at the prone man. “Like this, he’s defenseless.”   
  


“Don’t worry about him. He doesn’t have an ounce of magic in him, so no one would be interested in him even if they did show up.” Xion is already heading towards the bus doors. He calls over his shoulder. “He’s perfectly safe here. You and I, on the other hand? Not the same deal.”

Xion pauses on his way down the bus steps, turning his head to look back at Geonhak with an eyebrow raised. Geonhak looks down at the still bus driver, feeling conflicted. 

The thing is, Geonhak has been flung headlong into a confusing world of magic spells and strange flying papers attacking out of the blue. He is completely out of his depth, and he doesn’t know what to do, doesn’t know what to make of this all. But at the very least, Xion seems to be trustworthy. After all, the boy had saved Geonhak earlier and even got himself hurt in the process, so Geonhak decides to believe the boy for now and follows him out of the bus. 

“I still have a lot of questions for you.” Geonhak tells Xion. The other boy just nods absently in acceptance from where he’s crouching to rifle one-handedly through his bag.

“I can answer them for you on the way.” Xion hums, pulling out a cell phone to prop on his knee and tapping away quickly. “It looks like the dolls took us a fair bit of the way off from the main road, but actually we’re pretty close to the city where the bus was headed. Maybe half an hour on foot?”

Geonhak squints around the clearing that the dolls had dropped them in. They’re surrounded by towering, craggy trees, but between the dense branches he can barely make out the glow of light pollution at the horizon. 

“That way?” Geonhak inquires. Xion looks up at the direction that Geonhak is pointing at and, after glancing down at his phone, nods in confirmation. 

“Yeah, we should be able to go straight through these woods to get to the edge of the city.” Xion tucks his phone away and straightens up, swaying slightly and wincing as his left elbow shifts too much. Geonhak’s brows furrow in concern, and he steps toward the other boy, arm raised as if to support him if needed.

“You ok?” Geonhak asks, feeling guilty once again for inadvertently causing injury to someone who had been trying to help him. “Do you have another healing spell on you?”

“I do, but it’s more important for us to get out of here as soon as possible.” Xion says, looking down at his hurt arm with a pout-like frown on his lips. “If I use a spell, I’ll be knocked out for a bit.”

“Can I see it?” Geonhak reaches out with gentle fingers. Xion looks startled for a moment, eyes wide like a deer in the headlights, but holds out his arm for examination wordlessly. Up close, Geonhak can see that the area around the elbow had swelled up considerably and some discoloration had started forming along the fine lines of his bones. Geonhak goes to tentatively feel along the joint, but stops and pulls away when Xion can’t bite back a hiss of pain. 

“It looks like it’s at least a really bad sprain. It could be fractured though.” Geonhak says worriedly. “You really shouldn’t walk around like this.”   
  
“Well I can’t heal it right now.” Xion huffs waspishly. “If I do, I won’t be able to walk. And we need to leave immediately.”

“I’ll just carry you then.” Geonhak blurts out. His brain catches up to his mouth a second too late, and he wills the burning blush from his cheeks.

“Carry me?” Xion stares at him incredulously. “You can’t be serious?”

“I’m pretty strong, don’t worry. I should be able to carry you for a while without too much trouble.” Geonhak reassures him. He had suggested it without really thinking about it, but now that he actually considers how slight the other boy looks, Geonhak actually is fairly sure that his plan would work fine. 

“I don’t know.” Xion eyes him dubiously, but Geonhak can see how gingerly he’s holding his left arm, and the crease between his brows betrays how much pain he must be trying to hide. 

“Look, it’s better if you just take care of your injury now and get some rest in case something else shows up later right?” Geonhak reasons. “You’re hurting a lot already right now, and it’ll just get worse if you're trekking through the woods with it unattended to.”

Xion bites his lip, indecision warring on his face briefly, before he nods in acceptance. 

“Ok, but if you get tired, you should, I don’t know, put me down and rest for a bit.” Xion says. Geonhak agrees and watches as Xion pulls out his notebook once more.

“What is that thing by the way?” Geonhak wants to know, looking askance at the seemingly innocuous pages. 

“They’re pre-prepared spells.” Xion explains, flipping through them to show the neat calligraphy inked across the papers. “I don’t have too much magical ability, but these only need a little bit of energy to activate since the spell framework is already in place.” Geonhak watches as Xion arrives at a half-torn page and rips out another ragged strip. 

“ _ Gentle bind, steady brace. _ ” Xion calls out. The paper floats from his grasp and winds itself loosely around his elbow. 

“Wait, you should get on my back before you get knocked out.” Geonhak hurries to kneel in front of Xion, turning so his back is facing the other boy. Xion seems to hesitate for a long moment before clambering onto Geonhak’s back, good arm clamping securely across Geonhak’s collarbone while his injured one dangles limply by his side.

“I’ve never had a piggy-back ride before.” He finally admits quietly. He sounds a little wistful and sad, and Geonhak thinks back to his own childhood, to vague memories of when his father would carry him on his shoulders and make him laugh with delight. Now the thought of those times makes his heart ache, makes him desperately wish that things were different, that his parents hadn’t rejected him and thrown cruel words at him just hours before. 

“Well everyone should get a chance to try it at least once.” Geonhak says hoarsely, clearing his throat against the sudden tightness of grief. “You’ll like it, it’s fun.” 

After Xion settles down, Geonhak braces his arms under the other boy’s thighs for support and straightens to a standing position. Xion’s arm tightens reflexively as he is lifted into the air, almost cutting off Geonhak’s airflow. But Geonhak just waits patiently, and Xion seems to relax after a few seconds, loosening his borderline-painful grip. 

“Comfortable?” Geonhak asks over his shoulder. Like this, he can feel the brush of Xion’s hair as the other boy nods in agreement. 

“Yeah, this is good.” Xion lets his head fall forward, tucking into the junction of Geonhak’s neck and shoulder. Geonhak feels his face heat again at the feeling of Xion’s breath stirring right by his ear. 

“Uh, you can go ahead and do your magic thing.” Geonhak stammers out. He almost immediately wants to die of embarrassment, but Xion just chuckles tiredly and hums in agreement.

“ _ Mend and repair. _ “ Out of the corner of his eye, Geonhak can see the paper bandage light up briefly, before Xion’s head lolls forward with a faint sigh, eyelashes fluttering shut. 

Geonhak just stands there for a moment, very aware of the warm gentle breaths and the soft gray curls ticking at his jaw. Then he shakes his head, closing his eyes and breathing out sharply in both amusement and incredulity. How had his life come to this? Just yesterday, he’d been thinking about mundane things, like doing chores and filling out college applications. Now here he was, waist-deep in magic spells and possible terrifying pursuers, with some boy that he’d just met on his back. 

But somehow, things feel right, as if they’re falling into place like puzzle pieces. Maybe because of the shared near-death experience that had pushed them together, but Geonhak feels oddly protective of Xion, despite the other boy’s brusqueness and coldness at times. Being able to help the other boy, even like this, settles something inside of him, makes him feel grounded and steady even when the entire world has shifted around him. 

He still has a lot of questions spinning around in his head. But as he hitches Xion up to a slightly more secure position and starts walking toward the hazy light in the distance, Geonhak thinks, for the first time since he’d been kicked out from his house, that maybe things will turn out alright. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Title is taken from ONEUS's song English Girl (it's absolutely adorable) :)
> 
> The semester just started for me, so I wanted to get a chapter out before I had too many assignments. It's pretty dialogue heavy and really just serves as some world-building and transition, but we should be able to meet the other boys soon! (My notes for writing the chapter literally consisted of this one line: soft sleepy dongju being carried by hak)
> 
> Also, I would like to admit that the only reason that Xion has Twilight-era hair in this fic is because I wanted to sneak in the pretty hair tinsel that he had during that period. But asdfjejfpsdfk his hair during TBONTB perfomances, with the beads and glitter and braids, adfjiagewpafjw I am deceased thank you for listening to my final words


	4. 우린 다시 만날 운명이니 (are we fated to meet again)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The hollow ache that had settled in his chest when his childhood home’s door had slammed behind him feels lighter somehow, less gut-wrenchingly painful. It’s a little like the feeling of finding a light in the dark- this sense of knowing he was not the only one having to face this big, big world. 

Even though Xion isn’t very heavy, Geonhak still finds himself tiring pretty soon into the trek. 

For one, through the tangled tree branches overhead, the setting moon hardly throws enough light for him to see where he’s going. He has to pick his way carefully, hunched over awkwardly to both keep an eye out for potential tripping hazards and to keep the unconscious boy on his back securely in place. 

He’s also running on zero sleep, and he can feel the exhaustion dragging down on his eyelids every time he blinks. But the dregs of adrenaline and the fear of potential pursuers keeps his feet moving onward.

Just when he thinks that he might need to stop and catch his breath for a moment, he feels Xion stirring on his back. The boy groans and turns his face a bit, almost nuzzling into Geonhak’s neck, and Geonhak nearly drops him in startlement. Geonhak freezes in place and prays that Xion can’t feel the heat from the blush that is radiating across his face now. 

“You okay?” Geonhak says, pretending he can’t feel the flutter of eyelashes against his skin as Xion opens his bleary eyes. 

“...mmm, yeah I should be all healed now.” Xion’s voice is still rough with sleep, but he straightens up slowly, shaking his head a bit as if to throw off the lingering drowsiness. “You should put me down. You must be tired.”

Once Xion gets both feet back on the ground, he immediately goes to inspect his left arm. He tears off the paper to reveal smooth pale skin, the earlier bruising completely gone. He flexes the joint and rotates his arm experimentally, and a pleased smile breaks across his face. 

Geonhak feels himself grinning too, relieved that the other boy is fine. He lets himself fall back against a tree trunk and slides down to thump down onto the dirt, rolling his sore shoulders with a slight groan. Xion hesitates and sits down too, folding his legs neatly as he settles next to Geonhak. 

“Thank you Geonhak-ssi.” When Geonhak looks over, Xion looks a bit shy, avoiding his gaze and fiddling with the ends of his sweatshirt sleeves. “I’m sorry that you had to carry me.” Geonhak can just barely make out a dusting of pink across Xion’s cheekbones.

“I-It was no problem. I offered after all.” Geonhak fumbles out. Xion still looks a bit embarrassed, so Geonhak blurts out, “How old are you?” 

“Hmm? I turn 18 in January.” Xion answers, looking a little bit confused.

“You can call me hyung if you want.” Geonhak offers. “I’m just a couple years older than you.”

Xion looks up in surprise, finally meeting Geonhak’s eyes with an almost searching look. There’s a second of silence, and Geonhak thinks maybe he had messed up, but then the other boy’s eyes crinkle at the corners and his heart-shaped smile is back. 

“Okay Geonhak-hyung.” And Geonhak definitely messed up because he really can’t deal with how happy Xion looks over such a small thing. So he jumps up to his feet before he can do something stupid like reach over and pinch the other boy’s cute cheeks. 

“If you’re all okay, we should get moving right? It looks like we’re almost there.” Geonhak points to where he can see the distant shape of buildings peeking through the thinning tree line, the tallest rooftops stark against the brightening sky. Xion nods and clambers to his feet.

“Sun’s about to come up.” Xion murmurs as he falls into step beside Geonhak. “I hope you’re not too late to wherever you were supposed to go.” Geonhak winces at that because he really should have made it to Youngjo’s place already, and his hyung must be freaking out right now. Geonhak doesn’t really have a way to contact him since his phone died during the bus ride. He only has an address hastily scribbled onto the back of his hand. 

“It’s fine.” Geonhak says. “I’m just going to stay with a friend. He’ll understand.”  _ Although he’s definitely going to scold me for worrying him, _ Geonhak thinks ruefully.

“Are you running away from home?” Xion asks suddenly. Geonhak blinks at the blunt question, footsteps faltering in surprise. Xion keeps on walking, seemingly unbothered, but Geonhak can see his white-knuckled grip on his backpack straps. 

“No, not really.” Geonhak finally replies, hurrying to catch up with the other boy. “I guess running away implies that I had a choice in the matter. But I didn’t- I was kicked out from my house.” Geonhak braces himself for questions about why he was kicked out in the first place, but Xion just hums thoughtfully.

“Oh that makes sense. I guessed you were a runaway since you didn’t have any luggage at all, and you were going to stay with a friend in another city.” Xion laughs a bit bitterly. “But you are wrong about one thing- sometimes you don’t have a choice in running away either.”

“What do you mean?” Geonhak tries to smooth out his concerned frown into something more gentle. Xion sounds brittle, like cold glass, and Geonhak is almost afraid to speak, lest something in the other boy breaks. 

“I had to leave.” Xion says quietly, eyes fixed on where the dawn is beginning to break over the horizon. “I didn’t have a choice in the matter- it just wasn’t safe for me to stay there, not any more.” 

“Do you have somewhere to go now?” Geonhak asks. He suddenly remembers when Youngjo had asked him the same question, his voice through the phone so warm against the silent streets of his hometown. And Geonhak doesn’t want to think of Xion wandering aimlessly through an unfamiliar city, as lost as Geonhak had been that night in the town he had grown up in his whole life.

“I guess.” Xion shrugs, kicking at the ground and throwing up a spray of pine needles. “I heard of someone in the city who helps out people like me. Hopefully, they’ll give me a place to stay for a bit until I figure out what to do next.” For all of his bravado, Xion’s words waver a little here, uncertainty bleeding into his voice.

Geonhak wants to say something soothing, something to erase the little line between the other boy’s brows as he frowns at his feet. But they had just met a few hours ago, and Geonhak isn’t like Youngjo-hyung who can throw his friendly affection easily at complete strangers. The space between them suddenly feels like the expanse of a canyon instead of just an arm’s width.

Then the light catches on Xion’s eyes, and they look distinctly wet. Geonhak thinks,  _ screw it _ . 

He reaches out carefully, one hand landing on Xion’s shoulder to pause his steps. The other boy freezes and makes a brief questioning noise as Geonhak folds him into a loose hug, one hand coming up to cradle the back of his head. 

It’s a bit awkward because Geonhak is used to crouching and doing this with his youngest cousins, offering simple comfort in skinship and a steady presence. But when his other hand starts to tentatively pat Xion’s back, the other boy seems to relax, some of the stiffness melting from his shoulders, and Xion shifts to bury his face in Geonhak’s collarbone. 

“I’m sure it’ll work out.” Geonhak says more firmly. “You’ll be okay.” And Xion just nods, sniffling faintly. 

They stay there for a moment, just two boys who had lost their homes. 

Geonhak ignores that dampness that is seeping into the front of his shirt and the tightness in his own throat. He focuses on the steady rhythm of his hand stroking down the plane of Xion’s shoulder blades. Finally, the other boy’s minute trembling stills, and he goes to pull away from Geonhak’s hold, scrubbing at his eyes with one sleeve.

“Thanks hyung.” Xion sends Geonhak a small smile. Geonhak wishes he knew how to get a bright, delighted grin or even startle a laugh out of the other boy.

“It’s no problem.” Geonhak reassures him instead, smiling softly. 

Xion turns away to keep on walking, and they continue quietly. But something feels different between them. Maybe it’s the way that Xion stays close enough that their hands sometimes brush. Or maybe it’s the companionable silence, broken only by Geonhak’s murmured warning about a protruding tree root. 

Most likely, Geonhak thinks, it’s that understanding that lies unspoken between them. The hollow ache that had settled in his chest when his childhood home’s door had slammed behind him feels lighter somehow, less gut-wrenchingly painful. It’s a little like the feeling of finding a light in the dark- this sense of knowing he was not the only one having to face this big, big world. 

And Geonhak, sneaking a glance over at Xion, wonders if the other boy feels the same way too.

It’s almost too sudden, the transition from dirt and scattered undergrowth to asphalt as they stumble out from the trees onto a road. It’s not the main highway that the bus had been traveling on, but a less-traveled path winding from the outskirts of the city. 

Nonetheless, Geonhak feels immensely relieved by the sight of the darkened houses and buildings around them, this part of the city still slumbering in the early morning hour. The idea of magic and strange pursuers seems lost somewhere in the woods behind him, as if washed away by the mundanity of sleepy neighborhoods and cracked sidewalks. Maybe Xion senses this too, because he comes to a stop and turns toward Geonhak, a sad curve to his lips. 

“I should go, hyung.” He says, almost self-deprecatingly. “It’s probably best if you forget about me and everything that happened back there. Nothing good ever comes from magic-users getting involved with normal folk.” Suddenly, Geonhak can’t stand how small Xion looks, at the way he seems to shrink into himself, so different from the boy of a couple hours ago that had snapped orders at him and wielded magic with confidence. 

“I’m glad I met you.” Geonhak blurts out, and Xion goes very still. 

“I hope that things work out for you.” Geonhak continues earnestly. “And that maybe we can stay friends.” Geonhak has to look away as he says that last part, wondering if he’s being too forward. He doesn’t know if he’s doing this right, this whole making-friends thing, but he sure as hell is going to try. 

When he dares to look back at the other boy, Xion is still staring at him, wide-eyed. But then Xion’s eyes scrunch close as he grins, brighter than Geonhak had imagined.

“Okay, Geonhak-hyung.” Xion says warmly. “Thank you for everything, and stay safe yourself. I’ll find you later on so we can keep in touch.”

With that, the other boy ducks his head and starts down the road. He only makes it a few steps before he hesitates and glances over his shoulder. Geonhak can just barely hear a faint “Goodbye”.

“Goodbye, see you soon.” Geonhak replies more firmly as he waves. He catches a glimpse of Xion’s smile before the boy turns away. Geonhak stays standing there, just watching, until Xion slips around a corner and out of sight. 

And Geonhak is alone again, but somehow he doesn’t feel lonely anymore. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So updates will be slow now that school is in full swing but please take this chapter that I churned out while I was procrastinating!
> 
> Chapter title is from Red Thread (one of my fave ONEUS B-sides T.T it's beautiful)


End file.
